Minutes for PPAA Committee Meeting held on 4th July 2023 on site.
Present: Richard Masterman (Chair), Sue Jones, Wendy Gunter (Treasurer), Martin Pasek, Lewis Evans
Apologies: Robert Loxton, Dan Hostler, Gordon Goldsmith
Previous Minutes:
Meeting date 5th June 2023: Approved.
Matters arising from previous meeting:
- Richard reported that the green waste contractor previously used was not equipped to deal with the large waste pile.
- Wendy reported that the stone wall repair was now complete and looking good. Thanks to Wendy for arranging.
Other items arising to be addressed as the agenda.
Chair Report
Richard welcomed the new Committee members.
Site Representative
- Council
- The Allotments Officer informs us investigations into the water leak are ongoing.
The Committee encourage plot holders to remain vigilant for any leaks and to report as seen. We thank those who have already done this when concerned.
- PPA
As agenda
Treasurer’s report
Wendy confirmed that the grant allocation notice has been received.
Plot Inspections
Richard and Rob have undertaken the first round of inspections and noted some badly overgrown plots. Associated Letters of Concern have been issued. Follow up discussion and inspections to take place shortly.
Annotation: this process is fully explained on this website here.
Site Security
It was agreed that plot holders should be particularly careful when locking the entry gates. Locks would not be changed.
Plot Vacancy/Letting and Structure Application
Sue advised that, since the last meeting, 6 plots have become vacant, 2 applications for a structure have been approved and 7 plots are being offered to prospective plot holders in the next few days.
Hedge trimming
Some hand trimming of the main hedge has taken place but further work will be carried out.
It was noted that a number of fruit trees around the site are growing excessively tall. Dan has suggested a working party be set up to assist plot holders with winter and spring pruning.
Skips and Waste Disposal
Wendy reported that the contractor who repaired the stone wall would be able to clear the large pile of green and wood waste by the end of Road 6. She awaited a quotation.
There was discussion regarding the removal of waste from the site and it should be noted that the Committee have no obligation to provide skips, the provision of which has previously been abused with off-site waste being dumped. Plot holders are reminded that they should remove their own rubbish and waste from site.
PPAA will, however, from time-to-time, hire skips etc. for pragmatic reasons, and a fuller article on this topic may be published on the PPA website.
Wasp nests
There have been reports of wasp nests at a few locations. Wasps are valuable insects and should not be disturbed, but if they are causing a nuisance then the plot holder should contact the Council directly for removal.
Materials from vacated plots
Plot holders should not remove materials from vacated plots as the outgoing tenant, or their family, may want to recover items.
Any Other Business
- The unused stone from the stone wall repair will be recovered and stored for future repair work.
- Richard will investigate acquiring expired scaffolding planks for sale at the shop.
- The good work carried to improve the poly tunnel was applauded. Any further improvements must receive Committee approval before any cost is incurred.
Date of next meeting
Committee: 19:00 Monday 31st July 2023, Butcher’s Arms, Canton.
Disposal Of Waste On PPA Site – A Dilemma
The terms of our Tenancy Agreements are quite clear.
We must either compost on our own plots, or remove from site entirely, unwanted plant material.
We must also remove from site under our own arrangements other materials, e.g. plastics, metals, rotten wood, and other refuse, which are no longer wanted on our plots.
Furthermore, PPAA Committee don’t have the power to waive those terms.
The facts that can be found on PPA site sometimes present a dilemma, however. Take for instance the case of a plot holder, who gives up their plot because of ill health. In principle, they should be charged for the cost of removing any abandoned materials from their plot, but it would clearly often be unconscionable or impractical to do this, and so PPAA might arrange for a waste disposal company to remove those, or perhaps hire skips, in which volunteers could put the waste.
The dilemma springs from the fact that – human nature and wishful thinking being what they are – when plot holders see skips being used to take away such waste, they can mistakenly interpret this as PPAA having implicitly waived the term in their tenancy which says that they alone are responsible for doing this. Where PPAA hire green waste disposal firms to remove fly tipped-heaps of compost, then they may make the same mistaken assumption about composting on their own plots.
Volunteers have been asked repeatedly by some plot holders as to when “The Skips” are coming, which could perhaps suggest a mistaken sense of entitlement on their part. If so, then it’s easy to to envisage, that if such a person felt resentment that their expectation of the Committee weren’t met, then that might encourage them to fly-tip around the site, leaving us all in a worse position than if nothing at all had ever been done!
So let’s repeat, that from time-to-time, for pragmatic reasons, PPAA may hire skips or waste disposal companies, but this doesn’t imply that any term of our Tenancy Agreement has been waived. Indeed, PPAA would be acting beyond its powers if it ever purported to do this.
Temporary Waste Piles Left By Volunteers
Observant plot holders might have noticed that heaps of loppings, prunings etc. often arise around the site, as a result of volunteers’ work in managing overgrown areas, in clearing plots ready for letting, and so on, but that they disappear after a short while, usually within a few weeks. It might well be easy for the opportunist to say “Well, the Committee fly-tip around the site, so why shouldn’t I?” but this is a “straw man” argument. What makes fly-tipping rightly an offence is the intention to abandon the rubbish permanently. There’s no such intention on the part of the volunteers, and so it’s not fly-tipping at all. Indeed, the volunteers also often patiently remove the other materials that actual fly-tippers have added to the temporary piles.
Bee Workshop Invitation
PPAA have received the invitation below from Cardiff Metropolitan University and the Website Team are pleased to publish it here:
Good morning,
Cardiff Metropolitan University’s Sustainability team are offering free introductory bee workshops for all ages and would like to extend an invitation for you/your organisation to book. The workshop will be held at our Cyncoed campus where we keep our beehives and will be taught by our resident beekeeper, Rob. You will learn about the importance of bees and how we can all play our part in helping bee populations: following an educational talk and demonstration of beekeeping, participants will then have the opportunity to make their own solitary bee home to take away. We can host up to 20 attendees at a time, refreshments will be provided.
If you are interested please book via Eventbrite at https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/free-bee-workshop-at-cardiff-metropolitan-university-tickets-672052074847?aff=ebdssbdestsearch, booking is essential. Please feel free to forward this invite to others within your organisation. Group bookings are welcome.
If you would like to be added to our mailing list to stay updated on events and opportunities, please contact us at: sustainability@cardiffmet.ac.uk. If you would like us to remove you from our contact list, please let us know.
Regards,
Cardiff Met Sustainability Engagement Team
